Horizon
by FloodFeSTeR
Summary: "Why are you here? To taint the land? To bring war?" They stared, unsure of what to say. But the smallest voice gave them words. "To live." summary subject to change
1. Chapter 1

_she waits; seething, blooming_

* * *

It is peaceful, between the trees.

Wind rustles the tall grass, vibrant blades tangling in the spokes of a rusted bike abandoned at the roads edge. The pavement is sunbaked and broken, red clay revealed as the rains lift and push mans machinations put of their way.

You can hear them, shuffling across the pavement; teeth clatter against the ground, falling from rot.

It is peaceful, between the trees.

The soft glide of wood against rope is hardly a cause for alarm out here, almost unheard - but the squirrels scatter, little hearts hammering against their ribs. The deer tear through grass, snorting into the dirt they leave behind; their hooves crush snails and bugs into nothing.

They run when the arrow flies overhead, the heavy body of a large cat thundering to the ground; it rolls, head over heels, stopped mid-run by the arrow between its ribs.

* * *

"Please, Daryl I wanna stop."

"Too bad, gotta keep walking." _They could be anywhere. _

"But -"

"_No._"

He's firm, thinks of apologizing, but theres no time and he swings his leg over the rotting log in their way. Judith pouts and takes his hand, letting him lift her effortlessly over the log that easily comes up to her waist. She looks back, smiling at Maggie as she follows; the woman smiles at her, trying to be soft, but it's so hard these days.

They had been walking for days, resting here and there; Judith slept when Daryl put her in his back, the adults were getting tired now.

"How much further?"

Daryl looked back to Maggie for a moment; she was pale. "Not much."

He had finally lost the bike, the one he had tried so hard to hold onto, tires full of Whisper brains on freeway two states back. It didn't matter now, he supposed, but damn did his feet hurt.

"Why did we have to come all the way here?" Judith asked in curiosity as they passed beneath a brick-layed archway. "Why couldn't the others come?"

"Because they went to other states, we already talked about this." Maggie looked around herself; she had never been outside of Georgia; it was a whole new world to her too. "They'll be coming here too, don't worry."

Judith didn't say anymore, and Daryl wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. She had been asking questions the whole way; Daryl just wanted some peace and quiet. But he tried to understand - she had been born and lived in the same place her entire life, never questioning that, that was all there was. She didn't want to leave, she had been content there, surviving.

It was no way for a child to grow up.

Daryl had found that so odd, himself, that she didn't really care to leave. When he was her age, all his friends and classmates could talk about was wanting to leave their town, go see the world. Judith didn't have that though; she didn't have television and pictures of the world beyond the trees. No oceans and auroras, blue mountains and people that spoke different languages. There was no Paris romance for her, technology of the Japanese or Chinese.

There was just home. Pine trees and humidity.

The dead.

They approached a building in the distance, crumbling and dilapidated, but there was a roof, and a tarp, evidence someone had tried to make a hideaway of this place.

"We can rest here for awhile." Daryl dropped his pack next to a molding sleeping bag. "You two get some sleep, I'll keep watch."

"Are you sure," Maggie asked, giving him a concerned look. "You kept watch last time..."

Daryl shook his head. "Just get some rest, once the sun hits the treeline, we'll get moving again."

Maggie hesitated. "So...how long...?"

Daryl sighed. "Ya got an hour."

Maggie nodded, smiling softly at him and laying her pack down. Daryl walked out of the massive hole they had walked through, assault rifle in hand, eyes heavy but vigilant. He found a cozy spot overlooking the building from the trees and rested there. Stones from the mountain protruded on both sides of him, a sheer cliff miles high above him - he was safe, for the moment.

He rubbed his face with a hard hand, leaning his head back against the tree and kept his eyes focused. Yes, he wanted to sleep, but he had to keep them safe, there was no telling if they were still being followed. He doubted it, they were so far from Georgia, and in a giant basin with mountains standing vigil; there was no way they could be touched now, right?


	2. Chapter 2

Its quiet between the trees, peaceful, and Daryl can appreciate that.

No signs of Walkers, no signs of any other humans but them.

Too wild, too dangerous. Bears, wolves, coyotes and lynx were proud inhabitants of the park, and Daryl didn't want to deal with it either.

But they would be fine, he hoped.

"Its so pretty," Judith mumbled, staring across the waters that flowed in either side of them.

"It is, isn't it?" Maggie looked to Daryl, but could only stare at his back. "Do you think -"

"Nah, not yet," he mumbled, already knowing what she would ask. "Can't be sure what's out here yet."

Maggie nodded, biting her tongue so she didn't sigh heavily like she wanted to. Months on the road, she missed their family; bunch of misfits, banded together for the ensuing apocalypse. True, it had been easier since they split - easier food rationing, less of a trail to follow, easier to get out of a bad situation...but...

"Do you think they're okay?"

Maggie looked over at Judith as they trudged behind Daryl. She always asked, and Maggie only had one answer. "Of course."

Judith doesn't hide her sigh on this one, just watching the trees and streams they pass by, eyes watching from those trees. Elk watched them steadily, unafraid of humans and daring the trio to try and hunt one. The biggest one bellows, making Judith jump and Daryl to pay attention, eyes always narrowed.

"That was...weird." Maggie raised an eyebrow at Daryl, wondering if he notices as well. "Should we find shelter?"

Daryl jerked his chin towards the curve in their path. " 'round them trees, theres a ranger station on the hill."

Maggie nodded, adjusted her pack, and took Judith's hand in her own. Judith's fingers wound around hers tightly, her feet picking up to keep pace with Maggie's longer strides. She hadn't grown much in the year since they split, just below Maggie's collarbone for reference; it worried Maggie.

* * *

"Oh thank the heavens, a cot." Maggie sighed as she fell back onto the bed with Judith; it's like the muscles in her back un-knotted. "We can stay here for awhile." She sat up, staring at the tops of the trees through the windows. "We can see everything."

Daryl hummed in agreement, leaning against the railing just outside of the door. It was perfect, for awhile anyway, before something happened - and something _always _happened these days. The Governor, Negan, The Whispers; all sides of the same coin, all bad and all gunning for them. But Daryl felt an ease here, maybe because there was only one way in, maybe because he didn't see lights or smoke in the distance from any angle, but there was an ease.

And he would take advantage of it.

"Gimme the bow." He held his hand out to Maggie, taking the longbow from her.

"Think it's a good idea to go out there alone?" Judith stood from the bed, nervously biting her lip.

"He'll be extra safe." Maggie promised, giving Daryl a stern look. "Right?"

Daryl looked to Judith, who had that firm, demanding stare; but, he could see the fear of a child. "Of course."

Judith nodded once, firm, insisting he keep a promise to her - like always.

* * *

It was easy hunting when the prey wasn't scared.

A massive herd of elk grazed just outside of the hot springs, close to the tree line but they were scattered about in the springs too. The colors in the water were so vibrant, ranging from orange to blue, in hues that fascinated him.

The bull elk let out a throaty call that echoed for miles, possibly. The herd started to move, slowly ebbing out into the forest - Daryl readied his sights on a lone female. She wasn't bothered by the herd spreading out, leaving her; it was massive, she was safe.

The arrow lodged into her hip, causing her to cry out and kick up, her hooves sliding in the mud as she tried to run. Her cries weren't heard, Daryl could hear her family scattering, a large rumble through the trees and away from her. Daryl jumped down from his branch, eyes scanning the openness that was in front of him, he couldn't be left so vulnerable but she was right there.

He crouched down into the bushes just at the trees breaks, watching the cow scramble, try to get her footing, but she was bleeding too bad. If he waited long enough, she would bleed out and he could collect meat in peace.

Daryl sighed, leaning back against his tree and waited, watching the sky that was slowly getting dark. When was the last time he could just sit and. . ._breathe_? It seemed like that was forever ago. The chaos that had ensued after the outbreak had almost taken his memory - of not fighting, of laughter and peace. Even when things seemed calm at the prison, or Alexandria. . .Daryl was restless, watching his back, his nerves fried at the very ends.

He froze completely when he heard a whistle, shrill, distant and echoing, but definitely there.

And definitely human.

He pushed off of the tree, sweat already beginning to bead on his brow, and he pulled out his knife. He couldn't return empty handed, they needed actual food and he wouldn't waste what he had killed - he certainly wouldn't let it be taken.

He put his boot against the tough hip and yanked his arrow out, putting it back into his quiver and he started cutting.

_Don't be sloppy, be careful, no ruptured organs in the meat or it's useless and everyone goes hungry another night._

He looked up when he heard the whistle again, seemingly closer, but everything echoed and distorted the short burst. "Fuck," he hisses under his breath, sheathing the knife and grabbing the two bloody slabs of meat. "Fuck, fuck. . ."

He hastily packed the meat, turning on his heels and jogging into the cover of the woods. When he looked over his shoulder, for a moment, he saw the glint off of something in the dying light. A scope? A necklace? It could be fucking tin foil for all he knew, so Daryl just ran.

* * *

A dead elk?

When was the last time anything was killed unless by. . .

Her eyes looked to the trees, narrow and harsh, but even she couldn't see through the darkness that had fallen. She knew she had seen someone, but had assumed her sight had begun to fail her.

She grit her teeth and looked back down at the dead cow, the lifeless, glassy sheen that had fallen over those big eyes.

She wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

_**A/N: **_just in case theres any confusion, a female elk is also referred to as a cow.


End file.
